DEA Calls Out Maduro-Led Venezuelan Drug Cartel, Reports $25 Million Reward

The U.S Drug Enforcement Administration called out the cartel led by Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro, highlighting the recent terrorist designation by the U.S. Department of the Treasury and pointing to a $25 million reward for his capture on U.S. drug charges

In a social media post, the DEA shared a poster from the U.S. Department of Justice offering a large reward for information leading to the capture of the Venezuelan dictator. In their post, the top anti-drug agency accused Maduro of leading the Cartel De Los Soles, a drug cartel that U.S. authorities claim is made up of top Venezuelan officials and military leaders. The group gets its name from the sun insignias in the country’s military uniforms.

As Breitbart Texas reported last week, the U.S. Department of the Treasury designated the Cartel De Los Soles as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist. It announced a new series of sanctions against the group. According to Treasury officials, the Cartel De Los Soles had provided support and drugs to two previously designated terrorist organizations, namely the Sinaloa Cartel and the Tren De Aragua.

Through its designation, the U.S. Department of the Treasury moved to freeze all assets tied to the terrorist organization, prohibited U.S. citizens from doing any business with them, and unleashed various other restrictions and sanctions aimed at curbing their financial capabilities.

Treasury officials point to the Cartel de Los Soles having supported the Tren de Aragua gang, a gang made primarily of Venezuelan migrants that became a top security concern in the United States in recent years due to their predatory tactics and extreme violence.

Similarly, treasury officials claim that the Cartel de Los Soles has provided support to the Sinaloa Cartel, Mexico’s top criminal organization, which is mainly responsible for supplying most of the fentanyl that has fueled the current overdose crisis in the United States. Additionally, the Sinaloa Cartel, due to its expansion attempts and its current turf war, is partly responsible for most of the violence that has taken over Mexico.

Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart News Foundation. He co-founded Breitbart News Foundation’s Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at Iortiz@breitbart.com. 

Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart News Foundation’s Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at bdarby@breitbart.com.